A Walk In The Woods

Mikel Rouse Broken Consort’s chamber orchestra recording A Walk In The Woods was Rouse’s most ambitious venture yet. Working with legendary engineer Martin Bisi (who recorded many of Rouse’s early works) and co-producer James Bergman, the ensemble set out to make a musical statement that would bridge the worlds of minimalism and rock in an elegant and understated recording. They certainly achieved their goal, as the recording made the New York Times Top Ten Records of 1985. This was all the more impressive as the ensemble never toured for this recording. A Walk In The Woods would also prove to be the ensembles most succesful record to date.

“…Phil Glass collides with “Bonanza”, and Aaron Copeland doesn’t even come into it.”
-John Gill, TIME OUT LONDON

Colorado Suite is a colaboration with the one and only Blaine Reininger. Rouse met Reininger while living in Belgium in 1983. Rouse was supporting the release of Tirez Tirez’s Story of The Year and Broken Consort’s Jade Tiger. Rouse and Reininger hit it off and started work on a mini LP for the Crammed Disc label. This led to a UK/European tour with Blaine as front man and violinist and Rouse manning the keyboards. All of this performed to a trusty Roland sequencer, marking Rouse’s (but not Reininger’s) first use of sequencing in live performance. Rouse would go on to use this idea in his large scale multi-media chamber operas.

01. Side Wind
02. Windy Outside
03. West Wind
04. Sun Study

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